The truth of the blizzard of '68
by Wolves and Winter
Summary: Jack is curious to find out why Bunnymund is still angry at him for causing the blizzard on Easter Sunday of 1968. When he discovers the real reason, he regrets what he did. Rated T for difficult social issues.
1. Chapter 1

Jack knew everything about Bunnymund. His devastating past, why he loved Easter so much (that was obvious), his species, how he became a Guardian, all that stuff. But Bunny never answered this question:

"Why are you still mad at me for causing the blizzard of '68?"

Jack had asked this about one hundred times, but each time, Bunnymund would hop away or change the subject. Jack felt - no, knew - that the Pooka was hiding something, but since he refused to answer, the young Guardian's only choice left was to guess.

And today, while they sat by the river in the Warren, eating chocolate ice cream, the winter spirit couldn't help but ask again. This time, though, Bunny said, "go ahead. Try."

Jack was surprised, but with a grinning face, he went for it.

"Is it because everyone was cold?"

"No."

"Is it because it was Easter?"

"Kinda. Still 'ave ta guess ya bloody show pony."

"Is it because I annoy you?"

"Obviously not! That was the cause of ya annoying me in the first place, Frostbite!"

"Is it because I scared you with that prank?"

"Bloody...no!"

Jack laughed, seeing his friend's terrified, yet annoyed, facial expression.

"Is it because it was at a time of new life and I kinda made everything dead?"

He saw Bunny flinch and stopped laughing.

"Bunny?"

"You really wanna know, don't ya?"

Jack nodded, fearful of Bunnymund's quiet tone. He didn't say anything - he knew this was going to be bad.

"Follow me."

Jack did so, following the rabbit to an empty room. He sat down and Bunnymund put a video in. It started playing.

What Jack saw next would make him regret what he did that day.


	2. Chapter 2

"Today, after Easter Sunday, the body of a little girl was found in the snow. She has been confirmed deceased."

Jack recognised the man as none other than Ombric, the adoptive father of Katherine, who was the Guardian of Storytelling. He listened to what Ombric was saying and tears began to well up in his eyes.

"We will now go to Gullen."

The scene switched to a man with dark brown hair and blue eyes.

"As you can see, a distraught family is standing round the scene where the girl was found."

The camera zoomed in on a black family, in tears.

"She didn't have to die!" Jack heard the mother wail. He saw her lay her head on her husband's shoulder, who was sobbing quietly, and pulled a heartbroken older girl towards him. Jack felt like crying too, but swallowed the lump in his throat. He had to be strong for these people. The winter spirit watched the scene switch back to the studio. There was a short man sitting next to Ombric, with a crescent moon on his head. Jack frowned, then it dawned on him. He heard Ombric say, "we all know that this is something unheard of, but Manny, can you tell us more."

Jack gulped.

"Of course. This girl has been identified as Leia Valley, a mixed race kid who was the biggest believer in the Easter Bunny."

Jack's eyes widened. He looked at Bunny, expecting a reaction, but the Pooka didn't move. With a slight frown, the winter spirit turned his attention back to the telly.

"Of course, this does seem accidental, but it is possible it could be a hate crime."

"Hate crime?" Jack wondered aloud.

Suddenly, the telly was switched off, and Jack saw anger in those emerald orbs, pure, raw anger. He sat, frozen in fear.

"A hate crime..."Bunnymund said quietly, "is a crime targeted at someone because of who they are."

Jack got up, realising the situation. "I don't hate black people!" he exclaimed angrily.

"Then prove it!" Bunnymund roared, storming out.

Jack was left shaking, his eyes welling up with tears. Why did he have to prove such a thing? He thought black people were just normal, like any other human being. So why did he have to prove that?


	3. Chapter 3

For the next hour, Jack pondered on how he could 'prove' his claim to Bunnymund. It was kind of reasonable that Bunny was mad at him for killing the girl, but he didn't know how to tell him that it was obviously accidental. With a sigh, Jack got up, thinking about the girl. She was somewhere between the ages of 6 and 8, by the looks of it.

"Wait..." he turned to the door. If he searched up Leia, maybe he could find out more about her! Then he could, he didn't know, maybe do a memorial?

That was it.

A memorial dedicated to Leia Valley. That would work!

After an hour of research, Jack was on his way to California, spreading snow everywhere. He watched children run outside and play and smiled to himself. Then, his heart sank. Leia wasn't here to play with the other kids. She would never be able to play in the snow again.

Heart heavy, Jack landed at her house. He spun quickly on the roof, then flipped upside down and looked through the window of a bedroom. A girl, who looked about twenty, was staring at a photo, tears in her eyes. He presumed this girl was a descendant of Leia; she did look exactly like her, after all. With a slight frown, he came back up and sat on the roof, thinking. What could he do? Of course, he knew he was doing a memorial, but how would he be able to get Bunnymund to look at it? After all, that guy was as mad as a...a kangaroo!

Then, he realised what he should do and with a big grin, flew to the local lake.

First, a plain glaze. That would do good. Jack iced the lake over. He sent beautiful ice patterns spiralling up the trees. Then, he covered some flowers in frost and used the wind to carry them and scatter them on the edges of the lake. Bunnymund would sure be impressed with this!

Smiling at his work so far, he noticed it wasn't half bad. Jack took a deep breath. Now for the main part.

The winter spirit started to draw Leia's face on the surface of the lake. He had to make sure everything was perfect; even the dimples in the deceased's smile were not out of place.

As he was drawing, Jack felt something different. The driving urge to show Bunnymund he didn't hate black people was slowly fading away, being replaced with a sense of trying to maybe avenge Leia, to apologise.

This feeling became stronger as the boy started on her big, long bushy black hair. It was, he thought, something unique. If only he had that type of hair naturally. Oh, he'd rock it. He'd be more awesome.

With a smile, Jack carried on.

Once Jack had done the hair, he began to add details to Leia's eyes. Her eyes were a dark green, but then again, this was ice he was creating. He couldn't change the colour of winter.

(But if he could, he would.

For Leia, he would.)

Finally, he finished. The winter spirit flew back and admired his work. It still seemed incomplete though. Determined to make it up to Leia, he created an amazing headstone and then at what would be his piece of paper, Jack took a deep breath, the words in his mind. Then, he channelled his power through his fingers, and began to write.

 _Dedicated to Leia Valley._

He frowned, eyes squinting as he tried to think what to write next. Then, another thing popped up into his mind.

By now, the objective to prove Bunnymund wrong had disappeared, and Jack now had a new aim: to apologise to Leia Valley and hopefully, to see if she would accept it.

Closing his eyes, he wrote the most genuine words he had written since today.

Then, he opened his eyes, and smiled, for in beautiful writing, were the two words he meant the most, from the bottom of his heart.

 _I'm sorry._


	4. Chapter 4

Jack made his way back to the North Pole. He didn't care what Bunnymund thought. If anything, he was more concerned if Leia would like his work.

(And hopefully, she would.)

The winter spirit landed in the Warren, ice blue eyes searching for a certain fluffy tail he'd like to rip off after this. He walked, wary, the grip on his staff tightening as he heard that annoying Australian accent.

"You need to get glasses mate."

Jack spun round and saw the Pooka sitting on a log, sharpening his boomerangs. Jack took a deep breath. His thoughts came out clumsily, but he stood straighter.

"I don't need to prove it to you."

Immediately Bunny's eyes looked up, so fast Jack nearly jumped, startled. Slowly, Bunnymund set his knife sharpener down on the log and got up. Jack gulped as Bunny walked towards him. The winter spirit's eyes were focused on the newly sharpened weapon in his nemesis' paw.

"And what," he laughed, "gives you the right to say that to me? Huh?"

"I have just as much of a right as you," Jack argued back.

"Oh? Oh so is that it?" Bunny laughed. "You think you can argue with me?" His raised his voice. "To have the same rights as-"

"Leia would hate you if she met you."

The words slipped out of Jack's mouth and his eyes widened as his nemesis' emerald orbs flared with anger.

"There! I said it! She'd hate you. I know what you're doing, you do this all the time, darn it!" Jack exclaimed. He saw Bunny's ears flatten, upset. Suddenly unable to look him in the eye, Jack turned away from him. A rush of regret hit him and he said quietly, "she'd hate you. I'm sorry, but...it's the truth.

All this time I've been trying to make it up to her and you just...use her. You use her as an excuse to hate me, and it makes me sick."

In that moment, Jack felt bad. Bad for killing Leia, bad for lashing out at his friend. He expected Bunny to get angry and retort, and if he did, he would completely understand.

"You're...You're right."

Jack turned round to face him, surprised. "What?"

"You're right," Bunnymund said, looking up at Jack and making eye contact with him. "I...sometimes I just get so frustrated with you because...you still have others."

Jack understood what he was talking about. "But you do have others. You have the children of the earth. You have Leia."

"But...but she's dead."

At that moment, a beeping emitted from Jack's pocket. He took out the radar device. "Are you sure?" he asked.

Bunnymund's face lit up. "She's not dead?"

"Well, she is...but this is a spirit radar. So...we know where to go."

They arrived at the lake. Bunny stared in awe at the immense beauty of the memorial. "It's amazing! This is all for Leia?"

"Yep. Look," Jack said. He nodded to a little girl staring at the headstone. Bunny was shocked.

"That's 'er?"

Jack nodded with a smile. "Go say hello."

Eagerly, Bunny hopped over. "'ello," he said to her. She looked at him, confusion evident on her face. "Who are you?"

The heartbreaking words echoed in the Pooka's ears. "I...never mind." He looked away, upset. The little girl noticed a decorated egg in Bunnymund's belt.

"Are you the Easter Bunny?" Leia asked excitedly.

Bunny turned back. "How-" she suddenly jumped at him and enveloped him in a hug. The warrior was shocked for a moment, but he hugged back. A big smile formed on his face.

Jack looked on at the two and he couldn't help but smile as well. Finally, it had all gone to plan. He decided to leave them alone, and quietly took off into the air.

"Who made this for me?" Leia asked.

"That guy over there," Bunnymund said. He stood up and pointed, but Jack wasn't there. "Where is 'e?" he wondered aloud.

"Here."

A voice made them spin round and Jack held a rose in his hand. It was frosted over. "Leia, I want you to have this."

Leia looked at him, then back at Bunnymund. "Is he-" Bunny nodded, and told her to go to him. The little girl obeyed, and hugged him tightly.

"I forgive you."

And that, as he gave her the rose with the biggest smile plastered onto his face, was the only thing Jack needed to hear.

"Thank you."

Leia nodded. Then, she faded away, and the rose was dropped.

And the moon shone on the two figures. The light lit up their skin, and the forest became magical with moonlight.

The three would meet again. But for now, there was only silence, and a certain frosted rose on the icy surface of the lake.

* * *

 **Tbh, I nearly tore up writing this chapter. I'm sorry this took so long! GCSEs and stuff got in the way, and I feel like the ending was very rushed :/ (This is the last chapter of this story, by the way.)**

 **Anyway, if you want more, just comment a storyline for these three and I'll get right on it! I'm not allowing smut, abusive or rape storylines though. I personally feel it's inconsiderate to write about these things when people go through them in real life, so...yeah. None of that please. Anywhales, enjoy!**

 **Constructive criticism is vety much appreciated, but no flames please. Thanks!**

 **-Wolves and Winter**


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